Follow Us

Sweet Synth Prince- Self-Titled Album

Sweet Synth Prince at first glance seems like any other band. It consists of members Patrick Manian and Eric Pennington. They both belong to other bands so this is a side project for them. Nothing out of the ordinary right? That’s exactly what I thought until I took a listen to their self-titled album, which comes out today.

When asked about the band and the album, Patrick Manian who provides vocals, drums and more for the project, gave this reply which was in the form of one wild story:

this album is a dark dive begun in a binge of a weekend where destructive influences were exposed to the light of day through song. Over the ensuing months I worked to take the seeds that we planted and grow them into mature songs that still displayed the insidious infusion. We realized later that Eric is the farmer, the man with the synth riffs that kickoff the songs. He is also in a way the holder of essence of the music for this reason. Patrick is the chef, the one who takes the raw ingredients, synthetic and emotional, funnels them through his machinations and out comes a full song. If you listen to each song you may start to pick up on this. The recordings are my favorite to date that I have been a part of . There is something to this particular musical partnership that brings out aspects of my songwriting I don’t find anywhere else. It’s a certain raw attitude that Eric craves and that I feel compelled to supply with just a smidge of pop sprinkled in.

Sweet Synth Prince, the album is a nine song long journey that’s loosely based on the theme of addiction, and the character, Sweet Synth Prince. What’s fascinating about the album is how strong the narrative is throughout. Their attention to even the smallest details is to be commended. The music is at times intentionally distorted (when I say distorted, I’m not talking shoegaze, fuzzy guitar distortion), errie, yet it still makes sense to the listener. It’s heavy synth rock, and vocals are still filled with soul and emotion. There’s breaks in songs that will catch you off guard, and the buildup of the first half of the album mirrors the slow descent into a more abstract sound in the second half of the album. Never before have I had so many questions about nine songs. Who is sailor bob? What does he represent? Is the joy fabricated or real?

Sweet Synth Prince is not for the casual listener. At the surface the album is a brilliant mix of heavy rock and synth rock. The best of course is what lies beneath. You will be invested, interested, and entertained. Add this album to your must listen to and rejoice in the fact that there are plans for more in the future. I will be adding this to my many many many reasons why I love what I do.

Share

Author Spotlight

Kerriann Curtis

Kerriann Curtis has been writing about and for the independent musician for over 5 years now. Recently she published her first book of poetry, and is currently working on the follow-up.
You can also find her as a series writer over at Channillo. Read Full